Kalrum Greatforge
The older brother of Zulatobari Greatforge, Thane of Clan Greatforge. Kalrum is an experienced warlock, having been a mage for decades prior to practicing demonic magic and has been wielding the Fel since Dalaran fell in the Third War. A former Professor of Ancient History and former Runemaster of the Runekeeper Order! Characteristics An older dwarf, Kalrum's about average in height and a bit below average in weight. However, the unmistakable aura of fel surrounds the dwarf, thoroughly surrounding him and obvious to all who can feel aura's, see aura's, or otherwise sense them. As such, any who learn this will know him for a warlock... If the gaudy robes and visibly fel-tinged staff didn't do that first. Physical Appearance If one were to base Kalrum's age on when he was born on Azeroth using only Azerothian years, he would look the part of a dwarf somewhere in his late 200s, with his graying crimson beard, balding head, and wrinkles. In truth, Kalrum is far older then he lets on, having spent a prolonged period of time in the Twisting Nether. As such, he uses illusions to hide his true age and appear at the age he claims he is. Otherwise, see the side tab for information such as his height and weight. Personal Items Kalrum's robes are red by nature, however they were custom tailored and worked on to include gray sheets of tanned demon skin for protection, with truegold threads going all across the robes to allow for magic to move between the enchantments stitched onto the robes with ease. Overall, all craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality! To be more specific, the red parts of the robe is imbued silkweave, retailored once Kalrum got his hands on the demonically infused threads. The gray demonhide is styled in a way to look like demonic visages with green glowing 'eyes'. The truegold thread is both for aesthetic purposes and the previously stated ability to enhance the robes enchantments. Finally, there are demonic sigils and runes tailored into the robe with felcloth thread that glows with eerie green light. The enchantments are fairly mundane, allowing the robes to function as a sort of armor (they repair themselves and offer a cushion between Kalrum and blades and weapons. He can still get cut and bruised though!). They also help mask his fel aura and aid him in keeping it restrained at all times (even when he sleeps). His boots, gauntlets, and shoulderpads are similarly fashioned with plates of truegold for magical conductivity. The enchantments of all of it include magical wards, physical wards, and personal barriers for his own power, to allow him better control of the chaotic energy of fel magic like his robes. His hat however, is an old favorite of Kalrum's, it's an iconic symbol of the character. It's crimson red, of soft velvet with a band of gray tanned demonhide along the rim and enchanted to contain a small pocket void storage realm in the void that can hold about 100 lbs of stuff before growing unstable! Along with that, there are your usual enchantments to make the item itself impossible to destroy while Kalrum is alive (its soulbound, although forces more powerful then Kalrum could in theory destroy it with him being alive), to teleport to Kalrum with but a thought, as long as the hat is on the same dimension as the warlock he knows where it is and can generally summon his hat, and to provide additional security while the hat is worn against mental intrusions. Desolation, Spire of Annihilation 'was once the greatstaff of an Archmage of the Kirin Tor, someone Kalrum might have known if he had been able to recognize the crushed corpse. He found the body and the staff in a crater, presumable from an infernal although the siege demon was nowhere to be found. Still, Kalrum claimed the potent staff and corrupted it for his own purpose. Since its corruption, the truesilver rod has cracked as visible veins of fel energy pulse all along it, coursing with power. At the time of finding it, the once singular crystal floating softly above the staff had been shattered, once more probably by whatever crushed the Archmage, and yet the shards continued to float and spin at the staff's head. Kalrum has since added an 'orb of inner chaos' to the floating field of shards ''(it improves Kalrum's demonic binding capability when utilizing the staff). Along with this addition, Kalrum has also retooled the arcane sigils on the staff to better suit his needs in empowering his demonic magic. '''Hat Storage The items of note inside of Kalrum's hat includes an enchanted dagger (only enchantments are to pierce magical wards and strong metal and natural armor). Spellbooks and Fel-Infused Tomes, a Phoenix Heart, other spell components, gold, and other supplies. Jewelry He once had a signet ring for the Violet Bastion, which he wore on his right hand, but has since given it up upon the order's collapse. He does however still wear the truegold wedding ring his wife gave him, set with a 'blood of the mountain' gem in it and inscribed on the inside with "Never stop being a scholar, and I won't have to kill you". It has been heavily enchanted to allow him to store spells inside of it. Around his neck, on a mithril chain is a mithril locket. The front of it has the clan symbol for the Gemhammers, while the backside has the clan symbol for the Greatforges. It opens from right to left, with Dueria's picture on the left side and Kalrum's on the right side. The only magic in it is simple protection's to prevent Kalrum's own fel aura from consuming the cherished trinket. Personality Kalrum is an exceedingly intelligent and wise dwarf, possessed of an iron will and a stubborn mind. He's seen the worse the universe has to offer in his explorations into the Nether and even glimpses into the Void, and has returned with not only his sanity intact, but more focused then ever on defending Azeroth and expanding the knowledge of his fellow spellcasters, regardless of their chosen magic, as to prepare them for the horrors that await them all in the future! He's willing to do anything for the greater good, if that means doing something less then legal, then so be it, if that means deceiving friends, family, and entire organizations, then so be it. And he has the cunning and charisma to get away with nearly all of it as well, after all, the only fate awaiting weak willed, low ambition, and shy individuals in the path of a warlock is only death or eternal servitude to demons (he always pushes the tenets of confidence, patience, and wisdom to his apprentices. Never seek power blindly, but don't be afraid to take it either)! His memory is excellent, as is his ability to recall information. He wasn't born with any special gift to remember things, but with his natural intellect and centuries of mental training and scholar pursuits he has honed his mind to a razor's edge. History Born shortly after the War of the Three Hammers to Orik Greatforge, a grizzled Wildhammer warrior who picked his wife and new family over his brothers, forswearing his former name of Orik Oathmir and taking up his wife's name of Greatforge. However, Merlia Greatforge, Orik's first wife, was slain in battle alongside her father, the current Thane in defense of Ironforge when the Dark Iron's returned in the second stage of the war. The Greatforge Clan recognized that by somehow wielding Bitter'Ice, Orik would become the next Thane, however, the elders ruled that the bloodline of Zulbar must continue and thus Orik married his second and final wife, Fjoren Rockmantle. A closely related family of the Greatforges with bloodties to Zulbar the Mighty as well! Kalrum is specifically the first son of Orik and Fjoren, but the third son of Orik in total, Thrandrin Greatforge and Orik, Son of Orik being the first two. After Kalrum was his younger brother Zulatobari, followed by the younghest, his sister Fjrora Greatforge (nicknamed Fjrorum when they were kids). Early Years Not showing the... aptitude for martial combat like his brothers, nor a connection with the Light like his sister, Kalrum spent most of his youth and young adult life reading and learning, studying history and working as a scribe in the Ironforge Library. However, nearly ninety or so years ago, on a trip through the lands of the Dark Iron towards Stormwind to attend a lecture on Arathi history, he was captured by Dueria Gemhammer, a Dark Iron Shadow Priestess with an interest in scholarly pursuits. Unlike other scholars who bored her and were repaid with slavery like most captured by the Dark Iron's... Kalrum however, he fascinated her, and after years of debates and knowledge sharing, the two actually fell in love and married in secret. By now, Kalrum had discovered he had a minor ability for Arcane magic, but no matter how much he studied, or the patient tutelage of Duerla Gemhammer, Dueria's mother, he grew very little in regards to power. Eventually Corgra Darkmine, Duerla's twin sister would 'die', sending Duerla into a downward spiraling path, leading to her death in the future as Corgra's daughter-in-law, Mari Darkmine, tried her best to kill Kalrum and her Gemhammer cousins due to the embarrassment Dueria and Kalrum caused her. However, Mari would eventually be defeated and their lives would move on... To further highlight some of the antics that went on, Kalrum was captured by Mari, freed by Corgra, Duerla, and Dueria, captured again after Corgra's 'Death' and during Duerla's grief but was rescued again by Dueria, Zulatobari, Orikson, and Fjrora. The First War When the Shadow Council obtained a home in Blackrock Mountain, many Dark Iron scholars and power seekers were curious about the power they wielded, Dueria was one of them, but she knew not the dangers of trying to combine Shadow and Fel into a single type of energy, a danger she paid for in full when the volatile explosion brought on her death. When Kalrum learned, he was greatly depressed, and attended the scattering of her ashes in disguise, but the horrors of the Second War were already pressing onto Khaz Modan, and he only barely made it back into his city of birth before the gates closed. The Second War Locked in the city along with his kin, he kept himself isolated, studying Corgra and Duerla's tomes and what scraps of knowledge he obtained about the Orcs and their darker magic from Dueria's study until the gates finally reopened. By now, his younger brother Zulatobari had become Thane after Orik had died fighting the orc's, the magical axe known as Bitter'Ice having chosen Zula over his brothers and sister. Still fuming from the lock-in and his fathers death, Kalrum was temporarily granted stewardship of the Greatforge Clan as Zulatobari went orc hunting with Orikson, and Fjrora who accompanied them only to ensure they came back in one piece. When they returned, Kalrum left for Dalaran to quench his thirst for knowledge as a form of escape from his grief. Dueria's Death and his Son It was during the second war that Dueria Gemhammer, Kalrum's wife, would partake in an experiment trying to combine her Shadow and Void magic with the Fel magic of the orc warlocks of the Shadow Council now inhabiting the spires of Blackrock. This experiment ended with tragedy as Dueria was consumed by felfire as her mind crumbled under the assault of the void, her defenses broken by the backlash. Duerkas Gemhammer, her and Kalrum's son, a son she had kept hidden from Kalrum out of a wish to raise him to be a proper Gemhammer before any of his father's kin could influence the boy, tried to save his mother and was given horrible fel burns from the attempt. He is not aware that Kalrum is his father, and Kalrum is under his impression that their (he thought) unborn child was claimed alongside her. The Third War and it's Aftermath He made a new home for himself in the magical city of Dalaran, the peace he obtained nearly easing the guilt and pain in his heart, but not entirely, and it held him back in his studies. Kalrum was never gifted when it came to magic, his skills were focused in enchanting with a tinge of pyromancy, but his level of power was that of a lesser magi, despite having practiced the magic just as long, if not longer, then many Archmages. Even with the knowledge of two Archmages at his fingertips in the form of Duerla and Corgra's tomes, he still couldn't grow in power. When the Third War started, Kalrum had since become a Associate Professor of Ancient History in the city, one of it's Librarians and Chief Scribes, and a part-time Enchanter (and a Student Teacher in Enchantment), but his path would be forever changed when the city fell to the Scourge, when Archimonde was summoned and with a single spell, wiped out the ancient city of magic. Witnessing the destruction of his new life from a distance, Kalrum left his fellow refugees and sought out the very demons that destroyed his home, finding them causing chaos and leading a variety of fledgling cults dedicated to the Legion. Kalrum would spend the rest of the Third War, up until Archimonde's defeat in Kalimdor, learning what he could from the various cults, jumping to new ones when things got dangerous or if the information ran dry... But by the time the war ended, Kalrum left the cult business to conclude his studies on Fel and Demonic Summoning alone, by summoning demons and forcing them to reveal their secrets, taking their power or binding them as servants. When the Alliance was accepting warlocks, Kalrum returned home, his family was at first overjoyed of his return, they had thought him dead, but were soon horrified at the changes to their older brother (Orikson and Thrandrin had long since left, the former chasing battles across Azeroth, the latter rejoining his father's kin, the Oathmir Clan, in the Twilight Highlands). Kalrum would regain their trust in time, just as he grew in power and knowledge over the years since the Fall of Dalaran, finally possessing the power to become a hero like his brothers, regardless of the cost... And soon he'd have a plethora of demonic servants, a Sanctum in the Twisting Nether itself, a safe haven hidden in the ruins of a destroyed planet and behind layers upon layers of Kalrum's most potent wards. The purpose, to become his home away from home, a safe place for his riches and relics, and a secure location for his demonic servants to reform themselves upon their defeat in the mortal realm or when dismissed by Kalrum, along with a jail for demons Kalrum banished, as to allow the now Grand Warlock to interrogate them, destroy them, or bind them at his leisure! In actuality, as he spent at the minimum of 2-3 years in the Twisting Nether to accomplish the goal of creating his Sanctum and of achieving further mastery with his craft, he is in fact far older then he would have you believe. Yes, if one considered only Azeroth he'd be in his late 200s, but in truth he could be as old as 400, or more! Clan Battlehammer & The Runekeeper Order During the time of Deathwing's return, up till the defeat of the Iron Horde in AU Draenor, Kalrum served with an militant clan of dwarves known as Clan Battlehammer, led by the self-styled King, Bruenor Battlehammer who led his dwarves onto a glorious campaign against the Horde. But all things come to an end, and Kalrum eventually parted ways with the warband. And during the Legion's return following Archimonde's defeat at the Black Gate, Kalrum would discover an ancient Titan tome upon the Legion world of Nerothalis. After retrieving the tome and learning it's secrets, a process which lasted from his recovery of it, up until Gul'dan's defeat in the Nighthold. After that, Kalrum would dedicate himself to rebuilding the ancient order, but reforming it as a bastion for all spellcasters, regardless of background or choice of magic. With the orders near destruction again, at the hands of Nerothos (who also stole the tome back) it was with a heavy heart that Kalrum disbanded the Runekeepers in order to protect the remaining members. Binded Demons, Singular These demons are all of Kalrum's most powerful servants or favored servants, many spend their time in his Sanctum, protecting it and his impressive library or serving other tasks within his base. This includes keeping an eye on the lesser demons that Kalrum neither binds or enslaves. Binded/Enslaved Demons, Mass These demons are not powerful enough to be noted by name and in singular, these are your atypical demons used by the Legion in mass as fodder, Kalrum keeps them around, some are binded, some are enslaved, and some are neither but are kept in check by the binded demons Kalrum leaves to watch over his Sanctum. Homunculus Following a successful attack on a demon world held by the dreadful Nathrezim by the mage Calgrim and allies, allies which included Kalrum, the warlock recovered a small black tome detailing the creation of the homunculi beings used in recent times by the Legion in response to the Demon Hunter's spectral sight. Finding such knowledge fascinating, Kalrum began experimenting and so far, has only found three successes out of 56 attempts. #38, 39, and 41. His most recent, #43, is being allowed some freedoms while Kalrum waits to see if he'll go insane like many of the previous failures. If he doesn't, he will be given a purpose and be altered to serve said purpose. #33, 35, and 42, while not very different from other failures who went insane, are being kept for study and experimentation. The next dozen after #43 were failures, going mad, but after discovering why they were going insane, Kalrum concluded the project as a success after creating #56, While he originally planned to use these creations to aid in several tasks at his sanctum, or as agents in the world to serve as body doubles among other tasks, friends of his who are aware have brought up morality of creating and disposing of failures without a second thought as well as treatment to what amounts as, to them, "his children". Sanctum Kalrum's sanctum is indeed located in the Twisting Nether within the remains of a shattered world. While he won't reveal how long it took to construct it, or how he obtained the materials, he has carved a rather marvelous room within one hundreds, if not thousands of rocks that make up the debris field from the previously mentioned world. The exterior has been sealed and made to look as it did prior to Kalrum's arrival and carving of it's insides, and the entire rock is warded by his mightiest of magics and enchantments. So that while it is doubtful the Legion will ever return to a such a place, if they do, the chances of them detecting his sanctum is unlikely. Part of the enchantments, is to stabilize the rock his sanctum is within, ensuring it doesn't collide or leave the general debris field it is floating in, as well as help level out the time difference that occurs from being in the Twisting Nether. It's not perfect, but it does bring the passage of time to just about the same speed as it is on Azeroth while within Kalrum's sanctum. The exception, are the study chambers and a few of the experimental rooms which are not warded against that, and thus time flows much quicker within them. The protections on the sanctum does prevent scrying, the detection of magic on the rock (which by virtue of having several feet of stone is already quite a bit of protection from scrying and detection spells), teleportation inside of the rock unless by specific methods specified by Kalrum, protection against messages going inside or leaving the sanctum unless by specific communication stones used by Kalrum and bonded to himself, and finally, wards on the inside to prevent one from teleporting OUT of the sanctum unless by the same methods used to get inside. While the wards protecting the sanctum from attacks both physical and magical are strong, the sanctum's security largely relies on the sanctum's ability to remain hidden by any who observe the rock it is within. There are three main wings to the sanctum, each connected to each other by the central hall, to focus on the central hall it is a large dome like room with the teleporation circle used to enter and leave the sanctum located in the middle. Three large doors dominate are equally spaced away from each other, dividing the room into thirds, though the door directly across the teleporation circle is the library of the sanctum, inside is Kalrum's entire collection of books, magical tomes, and other written accounts of history, magic, and really anything he ends up acquiring. This is also where the study rooms that aren't warded against the chaotic nature of time are located, and the 3 vaults storing the magical, cursed, or otherwise interesting items Kalrum has picked up over the years. Primarily, Bragmek, Xalth, Zil'thune, and Artozek are here, the first three listing actively organizing, reading, and researching using Kalrum's library, and the last one being the main guardian of the library. Zil'thune does also occupy another of the wings, the prison, where he works to interrogate and break in new arrivals. Specifically, the study rooms, 5 in total, are on the rightside, the vaults to the left, and opposite the door is a scrying chamber connected to an eye of kilrogg to explore the outside nether. On the matter of the prison ward, it serves two primary purposes. One, it is the most heavily warded section of the sanctum, as within is contained all the demons Kalrum has defeated AND captured over his years as a warlock, not binded or enslaved, but their demonic souls captured within a soulstone and imprisoned, their energies largely stolen by Kalrum and left with a fraction of their might to endure hideous treatment at the hands of Zil'thune, Kalrum, to be destroyed on a whim if their last bit of power is needed or if escape is a possibility. The other use of the prison ward, as the extra wards suggest, it is where Kalrum sleeps, lives, and stores his most treasured of keepsakes and items. Another teleporation circle is here, and only Kalrum knows the correct spell to teleport to it, it his home, bunker, and escape route all in one. The two voidbeings, the voidwalker Thokthak, and voidlord Xortrax guard the personal chamber of Kalrum, one is always present. The final ward of the sanctum is the experimentation ward, where some of Kalrum's demons and himself study, practice, and experiment on a great many things. From Zormir's alchemy chamber, to the spell practice chambers and the dissection room where new breeds of demons are extensively studied. There is also a small barracks, where the more martial of the demons in the sanctum practice and spar while not guarding the sanctum or being used by Kalrum. Written Books Trivia Kalrum was originally created during the Cataclysm as a Dwarf Priest on the server Moonguard. After I learned the Mountain Guard was dead, I went through the guild listing and found "Clan Battlehammer", I applied, but I read the description and went to their website where I learned they were on Emerald Dream. I rerolled Kalrum as a warlock on ED where he lived for about 5 years, over the course of that final year I had already started focusing on Wyrmrest Accord on Crura, Mairla, Yeula, and Orikson, along with several side alts, and I had decided I wanted to actually RP my favorite character of all time. Thus, Kalrum came to Wyrmrest, but his name was taken so I switched the "l" to an "î", thinking it would represent his staff, but no. People just use "Kairum" when they don't realize the RP profile goes by "Kalrum"! While I didn't know SOME of these when I made the character, Kalrum has been shaped over time due to their influence, intentionally or not. These inspirations include Richard(from Looking for Group(LFR)), Elminster(from Forgotten Realms), Kel'thuzad(from Warcraft 3), Gul'dan(from WoD/Legion), Saruman(from LotR), Gandalf(from LotR), Raistlin(from Dragonlance), Gromph Baenre('''from Forgotten Realms), '''The Archmage(from LFR), and other fantasy wizards whose names I don't recall currently, but I have read about. Other guilds I've been apart of (literally joining the guild or otherwise) include: NECROTICA (I didn't actually join it on Kalrum, but I was active in their Discord and joined it on Duerkas) [https://violetbastion.shivtr.com/ The Violet Bastion] (I was in this guild for quite awhile on Kalrum!) The Tomekeepers (This guild was Violet Bastion, but a hange in leadership led to this. It no longer really exists, although the community is still around in Discord) Quotes "It's ironic, but allow me to play Kil'jaedan's advocate here..." "Never underestimate a Master Warlock!" (shamelessly ripped off from Gul'dan) "To blindly seek power is to blindly seek your own demise." External Links The Runekeepers Website (Guild since disbanded) rpfind.me Profile (Need's Work) Wyrmrest Wiki Page (Need's Work) Kalrum's tumblr (Need's Work) Category:Character Category:Clan Greatforge